two hundred and ninety-five

"If you’ve ever made your own creamy salad dressings from scratch, you may have been shocked by the inclusion of up to a cup of store-bought, chemical filled mayonnaise.  Since when does a 'from scratch' recipe call for 'sauce from a jar'?  Moreover, can a salad dressing, potato salad, or tuna sandwich qualify as 'fresh' or 'homemade' when the main ingredients, eggs and all, can sit on the shelf for years before expiring?  I’m no whole food purist (I’ve even been known to employ a well placed can of Tex Mex tomatoes) but in my opinion, store bought mayonnaise is on the same level as Miracle Whip.  No hate for you Whip lovers, but this post is about real mayonnaise..."

Read the rest of the post "Homemade Mayonnaise" on Home Ec 101.

two hundred and eighty-one

"If you had to summarize summer in three words, which words would you choose?  Swimming, picnics, and ice cream?  Vacations, thunderstorms, and fireflies?  Bikinis, bonfires, and s’mores?  How about red, white, and blue?..."

Read the rest of the post "Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad" on Home Ec 101.

P.S.  Stuff about life after the jump.

two hundred and eighty

One of my favorite things in the world is hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Unfortunately, it's been around 100 degrees here in the NYC Metro area for the last week or so which means that any cravings for hot cocoa have been thrown out the window.  I know I can't be alone in my cravings for a chocolatey, marshmallowy treat, so I set out to make a recipe for a summer-friendly frozen "hot" cocoa.

Frozen Hot Cocoa

• 4 cups real chocolate milk (not the stuff made from water and HFCS)
• 1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 2 packets of "marshmallow lover's" hot cocoa mix

1. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate milk, sweetened condensed milk, and hot cocoa mix without the marshmallows.
2. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the chocolate milk mixture, making sure not to deflate the whipped cream too much.  (Protip: Whisk in half of the whipped cream, then fold in the second half.  It's easier than folding in the whole batch of whipped cream!)
3. Assemble your ice cream maker and turn it on.  With the machine running, pour the unfrozen cocoa into the ice cream maker's bowl.  (You may need to do this in two batches if you have a small machine.  If so, just refrigerate the remaining unfrozen cocoa until you're ready to use it.)  Churn for 20-30 minutes, or until the cocoa has frozen and the machine begins to struggle.
4. Pour or spoon the frozen cocoa into four giant glasses.  Top each glass of frozen cocoa with a sprinkling of the marshmallows from the cocoa mix.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4 hungry grown-up cocoa lovers (or 8-10 kids).

two hundred and seventy-seven

"I’m sure most of you would agree with me if I said that nothing is tastier than an ice cream sandwich on a hot summer’s day.  It’s cold, it’s creamy, and it conjures up memories of childhood summers spent chasing down the ice cream man.  Despite its deliciousness, however, I’m often wishing for a cake by the end of summer… Maybe with a scoop of ice cream?..."

Read the rest of the post "Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches" on Home Ec 101.

two hundred and sixty-three

Remember last Friday when I said I'd share my recipe for fried chicken with you this week?  Weeeell, I ended up feeling really terrible this weekend, so Mr N and I opted to get fried chicken from the KFC ripoff down the street.  Despite the sides being prepackaged and terrible, the chicken was hot and crispy.  It hit the spot, even though it wasn't as good as mine.  Unfortunately, the okay-ish chicken left me with the problem of not knowing which recipe to share with you today!  I looked at my menu plan and didn't see anything I hadn't shared before: black bean soup; penne with sausage, peppers, and onions; ginger chicken and green beans; homemade "Sierra Turkey" sandwi----wait a second!

P.S.  In case you can't tell, I've been playing with my recipe formatting in order to make my Dreams Unreal recipes as well laid out as my Home Ec 101 recipes.  So....  How do you like it?  Is it easier to understand?  Click through, check it out, and let me know!

two hundred and fifty

When I stepped out the door to walk my husband to the train station this morning, I was practically punched in the face by my least favorite season.  When I left the climate controlled lobby of my apartment building, the rush of heat and humidity was enough to cause me to stagger backwards as my asthmatic lungs struggled to convert themselves into gills to process the aqueous air.  Okay, I'm being a little bit facetious, but the high on this lovely May day was 93 degrees.  Blech.

I know that June is just around the corner, but I had honestly expected another few weeks before I was facing temperatures in the nineties!  If you've read my posts from last summer, you know that I simply don't like the season.  The heat, the sunburns that I get despite wearing sunscreen, the fact that I have to run the air conditioner.  Those are a few of the things that I dislike about this time of year, but the number one culprit is the stove.  The heat of my gas stove combined with the outside temperatures leave me with zero interest in cooking, let alone eating, hot food.

The obvious solution to my problem would be to spend all summer doing that hip raw food thing, but I'm far too unhip to be able to survive on cold food alone.  The slow cooker is a help, but there are only so many slow cooked roasts that one can eat without getting bored.  So, what does that leave us for meal options?  Simple: one pot meals--and we're not talking Hamburger Helper here.

two hundred and forty-nine

"I don’t know about you, but late spring and early summer are not exactly my favorite times warm up the house by using the oven. Since I’m often too cheap to turn on the air conditioning, I tend to relegate my summer baking time to the necessities. Unfortunately, my stomach doesn’t often get the memo and decides that it wants, say, a soufflé when it’s 90 degrees outside. Even more unfortunately, my tummy is in charge of my mood, so what it wants, it gets. Dutifully, I’ll throw together a half-hearted soufflé and call it a day. In the end, my belly is happy that it got its way, but the rest of me is just too hot to enjoy the darn thing..."

Read the rest of the post "Let There Be Lemon Cookies" at Home Ec 101.

P.S.  FYI, you can totally freeze that.

seventy-two

Over the past few weeks, between going out of town, having multiple appointments in the city, and having company, I've managed to eat approximately 9,753 meals, drinks, and snacks at various restaurants.  Okay, probably not that many, but for the first time since my wedding, I found myself unable to remember the last meal that I actually cooked.  I could, however, tell you about the awesome Momofuku Ramen I ate in NYC or the insanely delicious pan fried noodles I devoured at Big Wong King in Chinatown or the prison-grade breakfast I kind of ate in Connecticut.

You'd think that with my love of cooking and my dislike of spending money and all, I'd dive headfirst back into cooking actual, not-so-sodium laden meals, and I did... until I volunteered to cook a steak dinner for my mother while she was in town and remembered how freaking hot it is outside!  Since then, I've been a lazy bum about cooking (except for desserts, naturally).  Don't get me wrong, I still get hot, homemade meals on the table and Mr. N enjoys/pretends to enjoy them, but I've been left kind of uninspired by the heat--that is, until my husband reminded me of the awesome leftover steak that we have rocking out in the fridge.  I pondered a use for cold steak and was reminded of a super delicious appetizer that Mr. N and I ate at The Long Room in New York City (using a Groupon, natch)...

sixty-four

I'm back in town and therefore back to blogging.  The wedding was certainly nothing like ours, especially the 90 minute Catholic mass ceremony full of references to infidelity and Hell (neither of which happen to Catholics, apparently).  The hotel was so laughably bad that I'm planning on writing a post about it*.

On the plus side, we were able to go to an aquarium the day before and Mr. N made friends with a beluga whale!  Said whale was very friendly and would sit by the glass, watching the aquarium visitors.  Mr. N decided that he would "nom"/bite at the beluga only to have the whale open its mouth as wide as possible right back at him!  I got to pet a shark, which has allowed me to cross something off my bucket list**.  Woohoo!

I've named the whale "orly?"

Next item on the list?  Share a tasty recipe that costs less than $6 for the whole batch and can be made from pantry staples, even when you're still exhausted from traveling (and then coming home and traveling even more to go to a doctor's appointment).  Check!

*Preview: The desk clerk insulted my husband's appearance.  To his face.  Yeah.
**Truth: I only put "pet a shark" on my bucket list after I had already petted the shark.

fifty-eight

I know, I know, I didn't write a make-up post today, but at least I have a regularly scheduled post!  That has to count for something, right?  If it doesn't, I'll blame my lack of the promised post on the fact that I'm a newlywed--or on the hurricane that's supposed to be blowing right over New Jersey this evening.  Your choice of excuses!  How's that for service?

As I've gotten older and have become a better cook, I have been faced with a frustratingly depressing reality in which restaurant food ceases to be worth the exorbitant prices listed on the menu.  And since both my husband and I have been students for a majority of our adult lives, we've always viewed going out to eat as a Special Treat that we have to save up for and/or use a coupon to be able to comfortably afford (and thus enjoy).  Obviously, these two facts don't really go hand in hand, so I've found a way to make them work together: copycat recipes.  Nine times out of ten, when I go to a restaurant I come out able to recreate both my and Mr. N's entrees and the appetizers, and, nine times out of ten, I come home and test my skillz.  The recipe I'm sharing today is one I've enjoyed for years now, but is also one I've felt guilty about spending around $10 on for equally as many years: Panera Bread's "Sierra Turkey" sandwich

forty-eight

I'm the sort of person that has lots of "favorites", especially food-related favorites.  It seems that every month, I develop a new food obsession, be it bread, Thai noodles, salads or cakes.  By the time I've made every recipe imaginable for my then-favorite food, I've moved onto something else.  I'm sure this sounds fun (and, I won't lie, it kind of is) but it seems that by the time I've perfected my go-to recipe for that specific dish, I never want to see it again. 

Without fail, time passes--as it is wont to do.  Those foods that I spent so much time preparing wander back into my head and, next thing I know, I'm ready to start the process all over again.  Lately, I've been super into ice cream; I've made Cereal Milk, key lime pie, s'mores, and, the recipe I'm sharing with you today, orange cream.  Has all of this experimentation been fun?  Of course!  But now I'm thinking that it's time to move on to greener pastures (You know, to make sure my husband doesn't get bored.  Ahem). 

I'm making scallion pancakes to go with dinner; maybe those could be my new favorite food to make?  Though, I really should make ice cream one last time before I call it quits.  You know, just to make sure I've got this whole "summer dessert" thing figured out.

forty-four

Oh no!  I missed a post yesterday due to the holiday. :-(  I started out today with the intention of writing two posts to make up for my slackery, but the long, long weekend of video games, indoor barbecue and too much TV has left me absolutely brain dead.  Can you tell by our mainly indoor activities that it was super hot out?  Yuuuuck.  Though, there is one positive that comes with the insufferable heat: ice cream. 

No, I'm not talking about the stuff from your grocery store or even from a Friendly's.  I'm referring to homemade ice cream--and not just plain ol' vanilla or chocolate.  Oh no, for that would be too simple, mes amis.  I'm one upping myself here and sharing a disturbingly delicious creation that celebrates just how gluttonous Americans are free to be, which seems quite apt post-Independence Day...

S'mores Ice Cream

 adapted from Jeni's ice cream base

2 c whole milk + extra

1 sleeve graham crackers

1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

1 ½ oz cream cheese (3 tbsp), softened

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1 ¼ c + 2 tbsp heavy cream

2/3 c sugar

2 tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup marshmallow "fluff"

Coarsely crush the graham crackers and gently mix with the whole milk.  Allow to steep for about 30 minutes, then sieve to remove graham bits.  Chill graham milk overnight, then remeasure your volume of milk; if you have less than 2 cups, add enough plain whole milk until you have 2 full cups.

Mix 2 tbsp of the graham milk with cornstarch to make a slurry.  Whisk the cream cheese and salt in medium bowl until smooth.  Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Combine remaining graham milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4 qt. saucepan, bring to boil over medium-high heat and boil 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Return to a boil over medium-high and cook, while stirring, until thickened (about 1 minute).  Whisk hot graham milk into cream cheese until mixture is smooth.  Pour into 1 gallon freezer bag and submerge bag in ice bath.  Let stand until cold (about 30 minutes), then churn following your manufacturer's instructions.

Once the ice cream has almost finished churning, melt the chocolate chips, then stir in 2 tbsp heavy cream to create a ganache.  Stream the ganache into the ice cream, then add the marshmallow by the spoonful.  Allow the machine to "swirl" everything for you, or you can fold it in by hand if you're feeling ambitious.

Allow ice cream to firm up in the freezer for anywhere from one to six hours, depending on how patient you are.

forty-two

I'm a homebody by nature, so most weekends are spent on the couch playing video games or watching crappy movies on "Syfy" [sic], but every now and then, my husband turns into a cruise director and has an awesome idea that gets us off our butts and out of the house.  Last weekend, I was bemoaning the lack of fresh strawberries at the grocery store when he and suggested we go to a "pick your own" farm and, well, pick our own non-moldy berries.

We found one about 45 minutes away that had the last strawberries of the season and off we went!  The strawberries were sad and smooshed, with many of them having been decimated by other pickers and bugs.  The raspberries were just bordering on ripe.  But the currants were freaking awesome.  Never had a currant?  Get thee to the fields (and then utilize the recipe after the jump)!  Bonus cool points if people think you're some sort of religious fundamentalist due to your sun-proof clothing choices.

I'm totally Day Glo.

forty

Today has been painfully long.  I want to write something but, as I am busy fighting the urge to rip my ear from my head, I can't come up with a thing to say.  Quite recently (as in right before I started writing this post) I found out that I actually have a reader!  It's someone I sent the link to, though, so I don't know if that counts as much as a random person would...  I think I'm rambling.  ANYWAY.  I feel like this exciting tidbit of information should cause some sort of literary awesomeness to start shooting from my fingertips, through the keyboard and into the Internet.  Based on this post, however, I'm thinking that I need to improve upon my awesomeness--or maybe I just need to lower my expectations of myself.  The latter seems easier, so I'll leave you with an easy, one pot,  "I don't want to cook because my ear is distracting me"* recipe.

*Ladies, feel free to use this mega-awesome excuse on your husbands next time you're feeling lazy.  You're welcome.

Pasta with Sausage, Peppers and Onions

1 lb penne or other small-ish pasta

1 lb spicy Italian sausage (I'm using turkey)

2 large sweet onions, halved, then sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

3 cups tomato sauce (or 1 jar store bought)

Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.  Drain.

Heat large pan over medium-high heat.  Remove sausage from casing, crumble and brown in heated pan.  Remove sausage to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain. 

In the same pan, add onions and cook until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add peppers and cook until softened but still slightly crunchy, 3-5 minutes. 

Stir in sausage and sauce, then simmer over low heat until sauce is warmed through. 

Stir in pasta and serve topped with Parmesan.

thirty-four

Have you ever noticed that some of the tastiest foods out there look absolutely vile?  Chili: tastes delicious, looks like dog food.  Nachos: spicy, creamy and crunchy all in one, but they, too, look like dog food--on corn husks.  Black bean soup: healthy and zesty, looks like what you'd pull out of your car's engine if you decided to not change the oil for a decade.  And, of course, there's pasta with tomatoes, basil and Alfredo sauce, which I have named "creamy bruschetta pasta with chicken"--which sounds about as gross as the meal looks sitting in the bowl in front of you.  I know that I'm not really selling this recipe with my description or metaphors, but I promise that it's super easy, super delicious and Italian mother-in-law approved.  As we all know, that last descriptor is the only one that matters, so get cookin'!

Creamy Bruschetta Pasta with Chicken

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb penne, gemelli or farfalle

3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

2 lbs tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)

1/4 cup chiffonaded basil, loosely packed (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)

1-2 cups of your favorite Alfredo sauce (or 1 jar storebought Alfredo)

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large sautee pan over medium-high heat, then add oil and half of the garlic.  Salt and pepper the chicken breasts on both sides, then cook 3-5 minutes per side, until lightly browned/golden.  Remove chicken from pan, cover with foil and allow to rest.

Cook pasta til al dente, according to package directions.

Return the chicken pan to medium-high heat.  Add remaining garlic and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are softened.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Chop rested chicken breasts and add to tomatoes.  Stir in sauce and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

twenty-nine

Had physical therapy this morning, so I'm going to be a slacker and post a versatile, tasty recipe that's as lazy as I am feeling today.  This is my version of fast food, because it comes together in under 15 minutes.  The best part is that it utilizes leftover roasted or barbecued chicken, OR you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, OR you can cook up a chicken breast or two after marinating in soy sauce, ginger and garlic.  See what I mean?  It's practically impossible to not have the ingredients for this recipe!  Don't believe me yet?  If you omit the chicken, you're left with an Asian-style coleslaw, which is just as delicious as the original recipe.

Asian-Style Chicken Salad

 

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1-16 oz package shredded green cabbage with carrots (AKA coleslaw mix)*

10 oz package red cabbage

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp Sriracha

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 package "Oriental flavor" ramen noodles with seasoning sachet (optional)**

In a large bowl, combine chicken and both cabbages.  In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oils, vinegar, sugar, seasoning sachet, Sriracha and garlic until combined.  Add dressing to salad and toss.  Allow to sit 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

If desired, while salad is resting, crush ramen noodles until bite sized, then bake for 10-15 minutes in a 300* oven until lightly browned.  Cool.

Serve salad topped with toasted noodles.

*I normally steer clear of pre-cut veggies, but the extra cost is actually worth it in this case (unless you enjoy shredding cabbage)

**if you omit the seasoning sachet, add 1/4 tsp ginger powder to dressing in its place

twenty-four

As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, I don't much care for a plain old salad for dinner.  Something about having a warm meal most every night makes me happy and leaves me satisfied (and far less likely to get hungry again in a few hours).  During the summer, though, my usual meals fall out of rotation because I can't stand the thought of heating up the entire house for five hours to make a pot roast with carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Since there's only so many variates of sandwiches and/or tacos, I've had to get creative.  The recipe below, which is a variation on Alton Brown's stove top mac-n-cheese, is a play on the BLT sandwich, using shell pasta for "bread", spinach** for "lettuce", tomatoes and crumbled bacon.  Should you enjoy leftovers for lunch, this pasta reheats well (with a splash of milk!) in the microwave.

"BLT" shells and cheese

 

1 pound small shells
1 stick butter 

4 eggs 

1-12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon kosher salt 

fresh black pepper
2 teaspoons brown mustard
20 (3-8 oz. bags) ounces mild white cheddar, shredded

1/2 lb. center cut bacon, chopped

1/2 lb. frozen spinach (or 1 lb fresh spinach)

1 lb fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

 Boil pasta according to package directions; drain.  

While pasta is cooking, fry bacon over medium-high heat.  Drain bacon on paper towels, then discard all but 1 tsp bacon grease from pan.  Over medium-high heat, saute spinach until warmed, then add tomatoes and saute until softened.

Add butter and pasta to empty pasta pot; toss to coat until melted.  In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, Sriracha, salt and pepper.  Over low heat, stir egg mixture into pasta.  Slowly stir in cheese until melted.  Stir in sauteed spinach and tomatoes.

Top with bacon and serve.

**I've considered preparing this recipe with arugula, but I have never gotten around to it.  Please let me know how it turns out should you decide to try it yourself!

twenty

How are we today, my robot "readers"?  I'd greet you in Russian if I knew how!

Summer always makes me lazy.  I'm sure I've mentioned that I normally enjoy cleaning and love baking, but something just snaps inside me when the mercury rises above 75.  I'm not quite sure, but I'm thinking that being literally allergic to sunlight, plus having asthma and epilepsy that are exacerbated by the heat, might play some small part in my extreme dislike of summertime--but I digress.  The heat makes me stop wanting to cook, stop wanting to clean and even stop wanting to go outside for fear of bringing summer back in.

Obviously, I don't have the luxury of giving up on my job four months out of the year, so I have to find ways to suck it up and deal with the heat.  I don't have a slow cooker, I don't care for cold meals, I dislike leftovers, and we aren't allowed to have a grill on our balcony, so most peoples' tried and true solutions aren't even options in my book.  What's a girl to do?  The answer is so simple that I'm frustrated I went so many years without it: cook in the morning.  Duh.  How did I miss that one?!

Of course, some meals aren't conducive to morning preparation, but never fear!  I'll leave you with a recipe that allows you to prepare the various components ahead of time, throw them together 5 minutes before dinnertime and still have a proper meal--all without turning the kitchen into a sweat lodge.  You may wonder, "What is this miracle recipe?"  The answer is simple...

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 box (12-16 oz.) tri-color rotini, prepared according to package directions

1 cup store bought or homemade Caesar salad dressing, divided

3 romaine hearts, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 large tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Place chicken breasts in a zip top bag with approximately 1/4 cup of the Caesar dressing.  While chicken marinates, preheat oven to 325 F. 

Coat a baking sheet with olive oil, then place chicken breasts on sheet and cover tightly with foil.  Bake approximately 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 

Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest, covered, approximately 15 minutes.  Cut the chicken into large cubes.

When it's time to eat, throw the chicken in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute to heat it up.  Mix the pasta, lettuce and tomatoes with the remaining Caesar dressing.  Add the reheated chicken, then toss again.  Top with Parmesan and serve; if you're feeling feisty and/or carnivorous, feel free to add bacon.

The ingredients can be stored separately and the salad can be assembled "as needed", or you can store it all together and eat the leftovers as a cold salad.

eight

I don't know what it is about appetizers, but I love them more than any other "meal".  One of my favorite things to do when it's warm out is to serve an entire dinner made up of appetizers. This recipe, served with store bought spring rolls (not pictured because they were eaten as pre-appetizers) and homemade baked crab rangoon (just 'cause), can be made mostly ahead of time to avoid heating up the kitchen and needing to turn on the air conditioner on these lovely late spring evenings!
  

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus 1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon sriracha
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon ginger
pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
one sweet onion, french chopped

4 scallions, cut into 1" pieces
one head iceberg lettuce, cored, cleaned and cut in half

chow mein or fried mei fun noodles, for serving

dipping sauce, for serving (recipe below)

Combine in a large bowl: 2 tablespoon soy sauce, rice wine, Worcestershire, sriracha, fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, pepper, sugar and cornstarch.  Add chicken, coat with sauce, cover, chill and let marinate 30 minutes to an hour.  In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil.  Once oil smokes, add chicken and sauce, then stir fry.  Once chicken is mostly cooked, add onions, scallions and remaining 1 tbsp of soy sauce, then continue to stir fry until everything is cooked.  Remove from heat.

While chicken is cooling, make sauce: mix 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sriracha, 3 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (can substitute apple cider vinegar) and 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire.  Taste and adjust to your preference.

To serve: Take one lettuce leaf half, fill with chicken mixture, drizzle with sauce and then top with crunchy noodles.  Eat like a taco!

Baked Crab Rangoon

1-6 oz. tin crab meat, drained

8 oz cream cheese (regular or reduced fat), softened

3 green onions, finely chopped

2 cloves finely minced garlic

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

black pepper

12 wonton wrappers

Mix together all ingredients but the wonton wrappers.  (You can chill the filling for up to 24 hours and continue with the recipe about 30 minutes before serving.)  Preheat oven to 350 F, grease a muffin tin (or use nonstick cooking spray), then line with wonton wrappers.  Bake wrappers for 5-10 minutes, until they begin to brown.  Remove muffin tin from oven, then fill par-baked wonton wraps with cream cheese-crab mixture.  Return filled rangoons to oven, then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until filling is set and slightly browned.  Cool 5 minutes in muffin tins, then remove to cooling rack to prevent them from getting soggy.

Also, the filling makes an awesome dip!  For a party, you can cut the wonton wrappers into triangles, then fry to make them into chips.  Serve with cream cheese-crab mixture (either cold or warmed in the microwave/oven).

three

I meant to take photos of dinner as I was cooking last night and do a "how to cook the perfect rare steak" post.  Obviously, this post lacks photos which means I forgot to take them.  Boo!  I still have two more steaks in the freezer, though, so I'll try to remember to do that next time.

Dinner tonight is campanelle with asparagus and bacon in a lemon cream sauce.  It's not very attractive, but it's delicious (and the asparagus are "Jersey Fresh")!  The bacon can be replaced with a lemony chicken breast, or omitted completely, and the cream sauce can either be home made or from a jar.

Bacon and Asparagus Campanelle Alfredo

1 pound campanelle or penne pasta

1 jar alfredo sauce (or your favorite recipe)

1 pound asparagus, trimmed, peeled (if you like) and cut into 2" spears

1/2 pound bacon, diced

2 lemons, juiced

zest of 1 lemon

basil, salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. 

While pasta is boiling, cook bacon in a large pan over the stove until crispy, then remove to paper towels.  Discard all but 1/2 tbsp bacon grease from the pan. 

Squeeze one lemon over prepared asparagus and quickly saute in reserved bacon grease.  Add pasta to the cooked asparagus, toss, then add the sauce, remaining lemon juice and zest; season.  Stir pasta until warmed through. 

Remove from heat and stir in bacon just before serving.